Bears Swept by Pair of Harvard Rallies

Cambridge, MA -
A pair of late rallies by Harvard led to the Brown baseball team (14-20, 5-9 Ivy) dropping both games of a doubleheader at O'Donnell Field on Saturday. The Crimson (6-26, 5-9 Ivy) scored four runs in the fifth inning of game one to take a 6-4 win, then scored four runs in the seventh and eighth innings of game two to hand the Bears a 7-3 loss.

Senior designated hitter Conor Reardon (Branford, CT) led the Bears at the plate on the day, going 5-for-8 with a walk, scoring twice. Senior utilityman Brian Kelaher (Farmington, CT) started both games in left field, going 4-for-9 with two runs scored.

The Bears got off to a quick start in the opener, scoring four times in the top of the first. Kelaher, Reardon, and junior shortstop Matt Nuzzo (Everett, MA) loaded the bases with three singles for freshman catcher Matt Colantonio (Garden City, NY). Colantonio hit a deep fly to left that was dropped, allowing two runs to score. Sophomore right fielder Nick Pu&ntilde;al (Palm Beach, FL) brought in Nuzzo with a double that one-hopped the right-field fence, and junior third baseman Robert Papenhause (Hillsborough, CA) drove in the fourth run with a groundout.

Harvard cut into the lead with runs in the first and fourth, then pulled ahead with four runs in the bottom of the fifth on just one hit. Brown senior Anthony Vita (West Babylon, NY) had allowed just two runs on five hits, one walk, and a hit batter in his first four innings. However, His control faltered in the fifth, as he allowed walks to the inning's first two batters. After a strikeout, he hit a batter to load the bases. He got another strikeout for the second out, but hit catcher Matt Kramer to bring in a run. Third baseman Sean O'Hara then cleared the bases with a double to right center, chasing Vita from the game.

Vita took the loss to fall to 2-4, while Harvard's Max Warren got the win, allowing four runs, three earned, on eight hits and two walks while striking out four. Shawn Haviland picked up the save, retiring the final four Brown batters. Senior Peter Moskal (Glastonbury, CT) also threw 1.1 scoreless innings.

In game two, it was Harvard that got out to an early lead that did not last. The Crimson got one run off of Brown sophomore Will Weidig (Katy, TX) in the first, as Kramer drove in Dillon O'Neill on a sacrifice fly to right. The hosts got two more in the third, one on a double by Matt Vance and another on a bases-loaded walk. With the bases still loaded and two out, Harvard's Matt Rogers drove a ball deep to center field. However, junior Steve Daniels (Fox Point, WI), running back to the fence and towards left field, made a spectacular diving catch to end the inning and save at least three runs on the play.

The score remained 3-0 until the top of the sixth, when the Bears rallied to tie the game. Kelaher led the inning off with a double down the left field line, followed by a walk to Colantonio. After a flyout that advanced Kelaher to third, Pu&ntilde;al tipped the ball back towards Harvard pitcher Dan Zailskas. Zailskas ran in, bobbled the ball, and after looking to home and realizing he could not retire Kelaher, drew the first baseman off the bag with his throw to retire the batter. After a strikeout that would have ended the inning without the error, senior J.J. Eno (Kahului, HI) drilled a triple to right center, scoring two runs to tie the game.

That triple ended Zailskas' outing. His replacement, Dan Berardo, pitched the final 3.1 innings, allowing no runs on five hits and one walk. He held the Bears at bay as the Crimson retook the lead. Weidig gave up singles to Taylor Meehan and Vance to lead off the seventh before being replaced by sophomore Rob Wilcox (Columbia, SC). He allowed a double to Kramer for one run and induced a groundout before being replaced by Moskal. In his second appearance of the day, Moskal allowed a run to score that inning on a single, but a strong throw by Pu&ntilde;al to home plate retired Kramer for the second out.

Moskal got out of the inning with a strikeout, then walked two batters to start the next inning, both of whom scored on a single by defensive replacement Jon Roberts to end the senior's outing. Sophomore lefty Matt Boylan (Danvers, MA) entered to finish the game, allowing no runs.

Weidig took the loss to fall to 3-4, allowing five runs in 6.0 innings on seven hits and five walks, striking out four. Berardo got the win, going to 2-0.

On Sunday, the Bears and Crimson will again play two in Cambridge. First pitch in game one will be at 12 p.m.